Track damaged, villagers stop train via torch, phone

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, August 2
A major train accident was averted in Sirsa’s Ellenabad subdivision on Thursday night, thanks to the quick thinking of local villagers. After heavy rainfall caused stones to dislodge beneath the tracks, villagers used mobile phones and torches to signal an approaching train to stop.
Following the rain, water had filled the underpass between Talwara and Beharwala villages, causing stones to sink beneath the tracks. Around 9.30 pm, Bhim Sain of Talwara Khurd village was returning home with his son Vakilchand.
Dropped by their driver near a waterlogged underpass, the father-son duo were crossing the tracks on foot when they noticed the dislodged stones. They called on the emergency number 112 and also alerted other villagers, who rushed to the scene. Hearing the sound of an approaching train, which was about 2 km away, the villagers ran towards it, signalling it to stop with the help of their mobile phones and torches.
The loco pilot saw the light signals and applied emergency brakes. The train stopped about 100 ft away from the damaged tracks. After an hour and a half of repairs, the train resumed its journey.